{"product_id":"golden-states-how-california-religion-went-from-cautionary-tale-to-global-brand-hardcover","title":"Golden States: How California Religion Went from Cautionary Tale to Global Brand - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eEileen Luhr\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhether they were utopian communitarians, sun-seeking gurus, or Protestant health reformers, Southern California's spiritual seekers drew on the United States' deepening global encounters and consumer cultures to pair religious and personal reinvention with cultural and spiritual revitalization. Through a rereading of the region's cultural landscape, \u003ci\u003eGolden States\u003c\/i\u003e provides an alternative history of California religion and spirituality, showing that seekers developed a number of paths to fulfillment that enhanced the region's lifestyle brand. Drawing on case studies as varied as surfing and yoga practices, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, and the only designated \"Blue Zone\" in the United States, this work explores the long-term impact of alternative beliefs on the region. In doing so, it highlights the ongoing tensions between privileging personal choice and pursuing social good as communities navigated whether the commitment to the emotional and therapeutic needs and desires of individual believers should be pursued at the expense of broader efforts to achieve collective well-being. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis fantastically original book exposes the role of alternative religion in the rise of market-oriented individualism and neoliberal self-fulfillment in late-twentieth-century suburban California and beyond. I promise you will never see yoga, Dr. Bronner's Soap, or Steve Jobs the same way again.--Lily Geismer, author of \u003ci\u003eLeft Behind: The Democrats' Failed Attempt to Solve Inequality\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"A fascinating new look at California's seemingly endless ability to provide fertile soil for innovative religious groups. Eileen Luhr demonstrates that however new or exotic a group may seem, they are in fact drawing from, and reshaping, common cultural resources. This book breathes new life into the old saw of 'innovative California, ' showing ultimately that regardless of its rebellious and idiosyncratic ways, California is America after all.\"--Richard Flory, Executive Director of the Center for Religion and Civic Culture, University of Southern California \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"\u003ci\u003eGolden States \u003c\/i\u003emakes a powerful contribution to our understanding of the role that distinctly Californian versions of \"the good life\" have played in the American imagination. Rooted in rich archival research that paints a vivid tableau of Californian subcultures, this important book reaches far beyond the Golden State in its explication of how these cultures were formed and the profound impact they continue to have.\"--Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, author of \u003ci\u003eFit Nation: The Gains and Pains of America's Exercise Obsession\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Luhr's brilliant new book reframes California spirituality from stereotypes of cults and kooks to the leading edge of religious evolution in a market-driven, globalized world. Why are Americans losing their religion? How do we find meaning and purpose? What does spirituality even mean? Anyone interested in these questions needs to read \u003ci\u003eGolden States\u003c\/i\u003e.\"--Diane Winston, author of \u003ci\u003eRighting the American Dream: How the Media Mainstreamed Reagan's Evangelical Vision\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEileen Luhr\u003c\/b\u003e is Professor of History at California State University, Long Beach, where she teaches US cultural history and history pedagogy and coordinates the History\/Social Science credential program for teachers. Her previous book was \u003ci\u003eWitnessing Suburbia: Conservatives and Christian Youth Culture\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 314\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.88 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 03, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51752061698336,"sku":"9780520399723","price":171.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/a615df7e923a0e10deb98dfa51dea998.webp?v=1779986985","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/golden-states-how-california-religion-went-from-cautionary-tale-to-global-brand-hardcover","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}